y, to account for a less. But, having nothing to
offer in the way of explanation, they for the most part held their
peace. Still the thoughts of reflecting men naturally and necessarily
simmered round the question. De Maillet, a contemporary of Newton,
has been brought into notice by Professor Huxley as one who 'had a
notion of the modifiability of living forms.' The late Sir Benjamin
Brodie, a man of highly philosophic mind, often drew my attention to
the fact that, as early as 1794, Charles Darwin's grandfather was
the pioneer of Charles Darwin. [Footnote: Zoonomia,' vol. i.
pp.500-510.] In 1801, and in subsequent years, the celebrated Lamarck,
who, through the vigorous exposition of his views by the author of the
'Vestiges of Creation,' rendered the public mind perfectly familiar
with the idea of evolution, endeavoured to show the development of
species out of changes of habit and external condition. In 1813 Dr.
Wells, the founder of our present theory of Dew, read before the Royal
Society a paper in which, to use the words of Mr. Darwin, 'he
distinctly recognises the principle of natural selection; and this is
the first recognition that has been indicated.' The thoroughness and
skill with which Wells pursued his work, and the obvious independence
of his character, rendered him long ago a favourite with me; and it
gave me the liveliest pleasure to alight upon this additional
testimony to his penetration. Professor Grant, Mr. Patrick Matthew,
von Buch, the author of the 'Vestiges,' D'Halloy, and others, by the
enunciation of opinions more or less clear and correct, showed that
the question had been fermenting long prior to the year 1858, when Mr.
Darwin and Mr. Wallace simultaneously, but independently, placed their
closely concurrent views before the Linnean Society. [Footnote: In
1855 Mr. Herbert Spencer ('Principles of Psychology,' 2nd edit.
vol. i. p. 465) expressed 'the belief that life under all its forms has
arisen by an unbroken evolution, and through the instrumentality of
what are called natural causes.' This was my belief also at that
time.]

These papers were followed in 1859 by the publication of the first
edition of the 'Origin of Species.' All great things come slowly to
the birth. Copernicus, as I informed you, pondered his great work for
thirty-three years. Newton for nearly twenty years kept the idea of
Gravitation before his mind; for twenty years also he dwelt upon his
discovery of Fluxio